My Friend Sara.

WARNING: Brace yourself for extreme photo overload! 

On that fateful Spring day at Coffee Buzz {the coffee shop we owned} when a super cute little blonde photographer spent the day in the shop editing photos, I would have never guessed that one day, soon after, we would be good friends and Jason and I would be guests at her wedding. 

Can you even stand it? 

Their wedding was the cutest, most creative, most beautiful wedding I've ever been to. 

I don't know if I've ever told Sara this, but that day when she came to Coffee Buzz and I learned she was a photographer, I went in to our back room and looked up her website. I was INSTANTLY wowed by her photos and knew right then that she would be shooting my wedding....even though I wasn't even engaged yet.

When I finally did get engaged, Sara was one of my first calls. We actually planned our wedding date around her schedule because there was no way I was letting anyone capture my big day but her. When the following spring rolled around and it was time to take our engagement photos, I was nervous. I'd seen Sara's amazing work but was afraid maybe ours wouldn't turn out as good {not because of Sara but because of her subject matter}. Boy was I wrong! We had a blast that day. Sara was incredible at "bossing us around". She let us be us and just interact naturally but then would instruct us to "put your chin down," "look more to the left," "no fish lips," "your hand looks awkward" etc. She posed us without really having to pose us, so the photos looked relaxed.  We felt so at ease and had so much fun and I think our engagement pictures really show that.

and my favorite of them all:

7 months later and it was time for our wedding. I was a very Type-A, organized bride {I know that shocks you all} but Sara was a big part in helping me with that. In our pre-wedding meeting she helped me map out the day-of schedule and list out the important photos we needed to take. I was so nervous about the photos because we have such an enormous family but thanks to Sara's organization and authority {and my amazing Personal Attendant, Robyn} we actually finished pictures AHEAD of schedule! But beyond just the mechanics of the day....our photos are beautiful. I love them so much and still {a year and a half later} look through them on a regular basis {is that weird?}

Me, Jason, Sara & her hubby, John! 

Once I found out I was pregnant I knew that Sara would obviously take our baby's pictures. She has a great "Watch Me Grow" package that includes newborn, 6 month and 1 year sessions which makes it so convenient. I toyed with the idea of doing maternity photos but was really unsure whether or not I wanted to get them done. I don't know about you other mamas but when I was 7 months pregnant, I wasn't feeling the cutest and wasn't really digging the whole idea of of getting my picture taken. Sara suggested a low-key, low-stress, relaxed shoot and I agreed. I am so so so thankful that I decided to do these. They turned out so much better than I ever could have imagined, Sara made me feel confident and beautiful AND I am so grateful that I have these pictures to document such an important and special time in my life. 

Once our peanut arrived, Sara was over just 5 days after Kenley was born to take her newborn photos. She knew just how to gently pose her, keep her warm and capture all those little new baby details that mamas never want to forget. She came prepared, I literally just had to sit back and watch, which was a good thing because I was still recovering.

We even have Sara's work in our living room! Please excuse the horrible iPhone photos that don't do these justice. Sara took some photos of downtown Minneapolis that we had hanging in Coffee Buzz. When we closed, I knew I had to keep these three photos. Not only are the beautiful but they now have sentimental value, and they will be hanging in our home wherever we live, forever.

I know Sara is my friend so I am biased, but she wasn't my friend when I first saw her work and KNEW that she had to be the one to take my pictures. She is absolutely not paying {or even asking} me to say this but, SERIOUSLY, if you live in the Twin Cities you would be CRAZY not to use Sara Jayne! She is a phenomenal photographer with so much talent and incredible creativity. We are so lucky that she has been through it all with us and we have these beautiful photos to document the most important stages of our lives.

But I'm not the only one who feels this way! Now that my friends have seen the incredible work Sara has done for us, they are getting wise and hiring her for their life events as well! 

One of my best friends, Christina, used Sara for her engagement photos & wedding last fall.

And now, the Beeb will be using SJ's talents to capture Baby Roe!

Not many people get to g-chat and text and talk to their photographer to plan their photo shoots. And not many people get to have so much fun and be so comfortable taking photos because they're with a friend. And not many photographers tear up taking your baby's newborn pictures or let you look at your unedited photos when you're hanging out at their house. We are so spoiled by having such a talented friend, but more than just benefiting from Sara's amazing talent, we get to benefit from the amazing person that she is and the amazing husband she has. I feel so lucky to have Sara and John in our lives, we always say that the whole purpose for Coffee Buzz was for us to meet each other! I couldn't be morethankful to have these beautiful photos of my family to cherish forever. These pictures mean more to me than anything and the fact that SJ took them makes them just that much more special.

 

Make sure to follow Sara so that you can see more of her incredible work!
website // facebook // twitter // instagram

and for crying out loud...if you live in the Twin Cities...call her!
Like, TODAY!

Oh, and one more MINOR detail...
A couple of weekends ago we spent our Saturday with Sara taking Kenley's six month photos and some family photos as well. I don't know how it's possible but I think this is my favorite of her work so far!
I CANNOT wait to share all of the pictures with you tomorrow! Here's a little sneaky peak to tide you over!